Coal-handling machine.



W. E. HAMILTON.

COAL HANDLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, m4. RENEWED MAR. a. I911.

6 Patented Apr. 10, 1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET I.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

@2 0, J4 4 WILLIAM EHAPHLTDN BY K M ATTORNEK 4 W. E. HAMILTON.

COM. HANDLING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 2, 1914. nauzwco Mn. 8. 19m.

L ww Patented Apr. 10,1917.

4 SHEETS-4H? 2.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

67 6 WILLIAM EHAWLTUN BY A [Z ATTORNEZ W. E. HAMILTON.

COAL HANDLING MACHINE.

APPLIPATION FILED MAY 2, I914- RENEWED MAR. 8, 1917- 1,,gg2gfi Patented Apr. 10, 1917,

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

INVENTOR.

WILLIAM EHAMILTUN W. E. HAMILTON.

COAL HANDLING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2. I914- RENEWED MAR. 8. I917.

1 Patented Apr. 10,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

i .46 E g u u p Z FIE-M8 WITNESSES: INVENT OR.

WILLIAM EHAI I I LT ATTO Y.

WILLIAM EDWARD HAMILTON, 0F COLUMBUS, OHIO.

COAL-HANDLING MACHINE.

Application and May 2, 1914, Serial no. eaaeti. Renewed March a, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L'WILLIAM EDWARD HAMILTON, a citizen of the United-States, residing at 87 East Fourth avenue, Columbus, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Coal-Handling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

he present invention'relates to an improved coal handling machine and is de signed primarily for the pur ose of providing an efficient, compact, se f-contained, portable machine of this character, Whereby coal or other granulated material may be handled with facility and economy.

While th invention is designed specifically for the purpose of transferring material having the characteristics of coal, from cars to Wagons or the like, 01 to a pile, it will of course be understood "that the invention is applicable for use in other modes and with other materials than coal, such as cinders, gravel, grains, etc., and it is contemplated that the invention may be adapted to such other uses. 7

The invention resides essentially incer- 'tain combinations and arrangements of parts involving a self controlled movable platform, or frame, a counterbalanced, adjustable boom, and an endless chain bucket conveyer and chute, together with the requisite actuating mechanism for these devices.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example (and. a modified adaptation) of the invention contructed according to the best mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principlesbut it will be understood that changes may be made in the exemplified form within the scope of my claim, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Figure l is a side elevation of the complete machine, showing the operation of transferring coal from a car to a wagon, and in dotted lines illustrating an auxiliary chute or convcyer by means of which the coal may be transferred to a pile instead of to a wagon. if desired.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is anenlarged detail of the means for vertically adjusting the boom.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of Fig. 3,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1ND, 1917:.

Serial No. 153,463.

9 similarly illustrates the manner of moving the unloader with relation to the stationary car.

In the preferred embodiment of my in- 'vention and as herein illustrated I employ a rectangular platform 1 constructed of channel or other suitable iron beams and mounted upon rollers 2 which may travel upon the rails 3. The platform supports the main frame of the mechanism indicated by the numeral st, and at the upper end of the frame an operator cage 5 is located, access to which may be had by means of the ladder 6.

The platform also supports the motor'7, herein illustrated in the conventional form of an electric motor, by means of which the several operating parts of the device are actuated.

The boom 8 is formed with :1 depending leg 9 and is pivoted on the driving shaft 10 in the frame there being a counterbalancing weight ll present to equalize the Weight of the endless belt bucket conveyer 12, and the load carried thereby in the buckets 13. v

By means of a rope 14. attached at 15 to the weighted end of the. boom, and passed around the drum 16 (dotted lines Fig. 52) the boom may be swung on the shaft 10 with power supplied from the motor 7. This motion is accomplished through the medium of the train of gears 17 and 18, the countershaft 19, bevel gears 20 and 21 and the worm and shaft :22 which rotate the drum 16. In this manner the leg 9 of the vboom may be lowered into or raised free from the interior of the coal car 23.

In addition to the pivoted motion of the boom, it is capable of adjustment both vertically and horizontally with relation to the main frame 4. Upon reference to Fig. 4, it will be clearly seen that the driving shaft 10 is journaled in a bearing block 24, which is slidable vertically in the ways stationary on the main frame 4.

The frame 4 is slotted at 26 for the passage of the shaft 10 and the bearing block is suspended by means of a rope or cable 27 attached as at 28 t0 the block, and passed over a drum 29, supported at the upper end, of the main frame above the driving shaft. This drum may be rotated from the motor 7 through the medium of the gears 17, 18, the gear 30 on countershaft 19, gear 31 on countershaft 33. sprocket wheel 34 and chain 35, a second sprocket wheel 36 on shaft 37 bevel gears 37 and 38, worm shaft 39 and worm 40, suitable clutch mechanism being provided for driving or releasing the parts as will be understood.

By this mechanism the boom may be bodily lifted or lowered, within limits, with relation to the main frame of the device, to accommodate the machine to variation in the height of cars.

The conveyer is driven through the driving shaft 10 and sprocket wheels 41 from the motor by means of gears 17, 18, 30, 31, sprocket wheel 42, chain 32 and sprocket wheel 43 on the shaft 37. A bevel gear 44 (Fig. 5) which engages the pinion 45 rotates the rod 46 to turn the bevel pinion 47 meshing with the gear 48 on driving shaft 10 It should be noted that while the gear 47 rotates with its shaft or rod 46, it is also slidable thereon in order that it may at all times be in engagement with the gear 48 notwithstanding the adjusted height of the boom and driving shaft 10. At the inner side of the side bars of the boom I preferably locate guides 49 for the links of the conveyer, and to take up wear and tighten the conveyer belt, horizontally slidable blocks 50 are provided in the boom frame, and by means of the screw 51 in each said block which bears against a bearing block 52 by means of which the shaftlO is suspended in block 50, the boom may be bodily pushed to the right with relation to the main frame, to tighten the belt of the conveyer.

The entire boom frame in which the conveyer travels is provided with the ide strips 49, and an idler 52 is convenient y located to guide the travel of the conveyor.

At the lower end of the leg 9 of the boom a plate 53 is arranged, and this plate is provided with rollers 54 adapted to travel over the bottom of the car 23 and prevent the conveyer buckets contacting with the car floor as they travel in their path around the leg of the boom.

The conveyer belt and buckets traverse the" boom, and enter a trough 55 located at the underside of the boom between the leg 9 and the main frame. A gate 56 is adapted to close the trough from an open hopper 57, and below the hopper is supported, by means of the suh-frame 58, a. weight pan 59, the doors 60 of which may be opened by suitable means to dump a quantity of coal into the waiting truck or wagon 61.

If it is desired to dump the coal in a pile at the rear of the machine the gate 56 is closed and the coal is conveyed by the buckets through the trough and emptied into the chute, or auxiliary conveyer, 62 (dotted lines Fig. 1).

In Figs. 8 and 9 I have illustrated two means of working the machine as the car is unloaded. In Fig. 8 the car is moved with relation to the machine, and in Fig. 9 the machine is moved with relation to the car. In either event the member is moved from the motor 7 and shaft 33 (and the intermediate driving elements) through the medium of a drum 63 and cables 64. Thus the boom and conveyer (as seen in Fig. 3) have started and are working from the end of the car toward the middle. The plate 54 in addition to supporting the rollers, also performs the function of a shield and prevents the coal or material worked from slipiping past the buckets, and in this manner er s in filling the buckets.

The entire mechanism may be controlled by the operator in the cage 5, and it will of course be understood that the clutch and release mechanisms illustrated will be actuated at the proper times and to perform their several functions in connection with, their several devices.

In operation, the boom is properly counterbalanced with the weight 11 and is vertically adjusted to accommodate itself to the height of the car to be unloaded. The leg of the boom is then lowered into position upon the coal at one end of the car, and the endless conveyer set in motion as described. The coal is scooped by the buckets and carried through the trough .35, and as shown in Fig. 1, the gate 56 being open, the coal is deposited through hopper 57, into the Weigh pan 59. The beam of the pan is not shown, but it will be understood that indicating mechanism of standard type will be used to register the weighed coal. When the weigh pan is filled to predetermined capacity, 1ts doors 60 are opened by suitable means, and the contents of the pan dumped into the waiting wagon or truck as shown. If desired the weigh pan may be omitted and the coal dumped directly into the wagon, or the doors or gates 56 may be closed and the coal conveyed by the buckets along the trough 55 and down the inclined chute, or auxiliary conveyer, 62 to a pile.

As the coal is fed into the conveyer buckets, the coal car is moved, or the machine is moved, as before described, so that as the work progresses, the leg of the boom gradually travels from one end of the car to the other, until the coal is taken therefrom.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is An unloading machine comprising a main frame having guide ways and vertically adjustable bearing blocks slidable therein, a driving shaft j ournaled in the blocks, a boom pivoted on said shaft having an endless conveyer thereon operated from the shaft, slidable bearing blocks on the boom receiving the driving shaft and a screw for horizontally adjusting said blocks for taking up slack of the conveyer, a receiving trough on the boom, and a delivery hopper and outlet gate attached to the trough.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in-presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM EDWARD HAMILTON. 

